Another human chain by DMK, another self-immolation bid

The face-off between the lawyers and Police, after Thursday’s unprecedented violence in the Madras High Court premises, intensified as more cases were registered against members of the legal fraternity, even as the TN DGP, issued shoot-at-sight orders to quell any violence, reports M.R Venkatesh.

The face-off between the lawyers and Police, after Thursday’s unprecedented violence in the Madras High Court premises, intensified on Saturday as more cases were registered against members of the legal fraternity, even as the Tamil Nadu DGP, Mr.K.P Jain issued shoot-at-sight orders to quell any violence.

While lawyers stood firm on their demand for immediate action against the DGP and the City Police Commissioner, Mr. D. Radhakrishnan for the violent incidents inside the Court, the Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi sought to defuse the tension, urging both advocates and the Police to work in a “spirit of unison” without creating any divide.

Seeking to assuage the hurt feelings on both sides as the High Court complex came under Police control since last night, Mr. Karunanidhi in a statement today from his hospital bed assured that on the basis of the CBI enquiry ordered into the whole gamut of incidents, “action will be taken against whoever was responsible for the violence.”

However, sporadic incidents of violence continued across the State, as Police registered a fresh case against about 100 lawyers, allegedly responsible for setting on fire a brand new ‘Mahindra Bolero’ patrol jeep of a senior fire officer, Valayudan Nair, last evening outside the High Court. The Police have also registered an FIR against 200 other lawyers who allegedly burnt the Police station inside the court complex.

Cases have also been filed against 14 other lawyers for the assault on the Janata Party leader, Dr. Subramanian Swamy, when he had come to the Court to implead himself in a case on Feb 17. The former Minister was targeted as lawyers have been boycotting the courts for over a month now over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

Both the lawyers’ fraternity and the Police continue to trade charges against each other with the blame game prolonging even after a CBI probe has been ordered. Police revealed today that one of the DSPs’, Mr.Rangaraj, who had gone to the court that day, was allegedly locked up by some lawyers inside a room, ‘made to strip’ and humiliated.

Meanwhile, the DMK’s Youth Wing led by its leader, Mr.M.K.Stalin, organized a long human chain protest here this evening to express solidarity with the suffering Tamils in Sri Lanka and demanding an immediate ceasefire there. A 55-year-old participant in the human-chian, Sivaparakasam, attempted self-immolation, the sixth such case in the past one month, and has been admitted to hospital with 70 per cent burns.